External drum imaging system

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a media handling system for an imaging system, such as an external drum platesetter. Separate input and output trays are provided, thereby allowing pre-staging of a second printing plate while a first printing plate is being imaged. The input tray is positioned over the output tray to reduce the floor space (i.e., footprint) of the imaging system.

This application claims the benefit of priority under Title 35 U.S C.119(e) of U.S. Provisional application No. 60/184,880 filed Feb. 25,2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of imaging systems. Moreparticularly, the present invention provides a media handling system foran external drum image recording apparatus for recording images ontosheets of recording material such as printing plates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In external drum image recording devices, a movable optical carriage isused to displace an image exposing or recording source in a slow scandirection while a cylindrical drum supporting recording material on anexternal surface thereof is rotated with respect to the image exposingsource. The drum rotation causes the recording material to advance pastthe exposing source along a direction which is substantiallyperpendicular to the slow scan direction. The recording material istherefore advanced past the exposing source by the rotating drum in afast scan direction.

An image exposing source may include an optical system for scanning oneor more exposing or recording beams. Each recording beam may beseparately modulated according to a digital information signalrepresenting data corresponding to the image to be recorded.

The recording media to be imaged by an external drum imaging system iscommonly supplied in discrete sheets and may comprise a plurality ofplates, hereinafter collectively referred to as “plates” or “printingplates.” Each plate may comprise one or more layers supported by asupport substrate, which for many printing plates is a plano-graphicaluminum sheet. Other layers may include one or more image recording(i.e., “imageable”) layers such as a photosensitive, radiationsensitive, or thermally sensitive layer, or other chemically orphysically alterable layers. Printing plates which are supported by apolyester support are also known and can be used in the presentinvention. Printing plates are available in a wide variety of sizes,typically ranging, e.g., from 9″×12″, or smaller, to 58″×80″, or larger.The printing plate may additionally comprise a flexographic printingplate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the present invention will best be understood from adetailed description of the invention and embodiments thereof selectedfor the purpose of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an external drum imaging system for recording imagesonto a supply of recording media such as a printing plate;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an imaging system including a movableoptical carriage and scanning system, usable in the external drumimaging system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the external drum of the imaging systemof FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 4 is an end view of the external drum of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the external drum of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 illustrates an external drum platesetter of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates the media handling system of an external drumplatesetter in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 provides an end view of a leading edge clamping mechanism in anopen orientation;

FIG. 9 provides an end view of the leading edge clamping mechanism ofFIG. 8 in a closed orientation;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the leading edge clamping mechanism of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 illustrates the location of the registration pins within theleading edge clamping mechanism of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the trailing edge clampingmechanism;

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the clamping bar of the trailingedge clamping mechanism;

FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of theclamping bar of FIG. 13A;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a slidable support post and biasingsystem for supporting the clamping bar above the surface of the externaldrum;

FIG. 15 illustrates a friction wheel system for rotating the discs thatcarry the clamping bar of the trailing edge clamping mechanism;

FIGS. 16-21 illustrate the operation and media input flow of the mediahandling system of the external drum platesetter of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 22-25 illustrate the operation and media output flow of the mediahandling system of the external drum platesetter of FIG. 7;

FIGS. 26A and 26B illustrate the general input/output flow of theexternal drum platesetter of FIG. 7;

FIG. 27 illustrates an external drum platesetter in accordance with analternate embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a cutaway perspective view of the external drum platesetterof FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the external drum platesetter of FIG.27, coupled to an on-line processor;

FIGS. 30A and 30B illustrate the general input/output flow of theexternal drum platesetter of FIG. 27;

FIGS. 31-44 illustrate the operation and media input/output process ofthe media handling system of the external drum platesetter of FIG. 27;

FIG. 45 illustrates an additional embodiment of the registration pins inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 46 is a plan view of a registration pin arrangement in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 47 illustrates the use of the registration pin arrangement of FIG.46;

FIG. 48 illustrates a control system for controlling the mediainput/output operation; and

FIGS. 49 and 50 illustrate the operation of the edge sensors.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The features of the present invention are illustrated in detail in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to likeelements throughout the drawings. Although the drawings are intended toillustrate the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawnto scale.

An example of an imaging system 10 employing an external drum imagerecording system is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this example, the imagingsystem 10 comprises an external drum platesetter configured to recorddigital data onto a printing plate. Although described below with regardto an external drum platesetter, many aspects of the present inventionmay be used in conjunction with a wide variety of other types ofexternal drum, internal drum, or flatbed imaging systems, includingimagesetters and the like, without departing from the intended scope ofthe present invention.

The imaging system 10 generally includes a front end computer orworkstation 12 for the design, layout, editing, and/or processing ofdigital files representing pages to be printed, a raster image processor(RIP) 14 for further processing the digital pages to provide rasterizedpage data (e.g., rasterized digital files) for driving an imagerecorder, and an image recorder, such as an external drum platesetter16, for recording the rasterized digital files onto a printing plate orother recording media. The external drum platesetter 16 records thedigital data (i.e., “job”) provided by the RIP 14 onto a supply ofphotosensitive, radiation sensitive, thermally sensitive, or other typeof suitable printing plate 18. In the present invention, the printingplate 18 is manually loaded onto a staging area of the external drumplatesetter 16 by an operator. Alternately, or in addition to manualloading, the printing plate may be provided and loaded onto the externaldrum platesetter 16 by a media supply or autoloading system 60. Themedia supply system 60 may accept a plurality of the same size printingplates 18, and/or may accept a plurality of different size printingplates 18.

The external drum platesetter 16 includes an external drum 20 having acylindrical media support surface 22 for supporting the printing plate18 during imaging. The external drum platesetter 16 further includes ascanning system 24, coupled to a movable carriage 26, for recordingdigital data onto the imaging surface 21 of the printing plate 18 usinga single or multiple imaging beams 28. An example of a scanning system24 is illustrated in FIG. 2. In particular, the scanning system 24 isdisplaced by the movable carriage 26 in a slow scan axial direction(directional arrow A) along the length of the rotating external drum 20to expose the printing plate 18 in a line-wise manner when a single beamis used or in a section-wise manner for multiple beams. Other types ofimaging systems may also be used in the present invention.

The external drum 20 is rotated by a drive system 36 in a clockwise orcounterclockwise direction as indicated by directional arrow B in FIG.1. Typically, the drive system 36 rotates the external drum 20 at a rateof about 100-1000 rpm. In the present invention, the printing plate 18is loaded onto the external drum 20 while rotating the drum in a firstdirection. The printing plate 18 is then imaged while the drum isrotated in the first, or in a second, opposite direction. Finally, theprinting plate 18 is unloaded from the external drum 20 while rotatingthe drum in the second direction. The details of the loading, imaging,and unloading operations are discussed in further detail below.

As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the scanning system 24 typicallyincludes a system 30 for generating the imaging beam or beams 28. Thesystem 30 comprises a light or radiation source 32 for producing theimaging beam or beams 28 (illustrated for simplicity as a single beam),and an optical system 34 positioned between the radiation source 32 andthe media support surface 22 for focusing the imaging beam or beams 28onto the printing plate 18. It should be noted, however, that the system30 described above is only one of many possible different types ofscanning systems that may be used to record image data on the printingplate 18. In the present invention, the system 30 comprises a multipleaddress grating light valve (GLV) or functionally similar modulatorbased system, or a multiple beam fiber optic coupled laser system.

In the external drum imaging system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the leading edge38 of the printing plate 18 is held in position against the mediasupport surface 22 by a leading edge clamping mechanism 40. Similarly,the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is held in positionagainst the media support surface 22 by a trailing edge clampingmechanism 44. Both the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 and theleading edge clamping mechanism 40 provide a tangential friction forcebetween the printing plate 18 and the external drum 20 sufficient toresist the tendency of the edges of the printing plate 18 to pull out ofthe clamping mechanisms 40, 44, at a high drum rotational speed. Inaccordance with the present invention, only a small section (e.g., 6 mm)of the leading and trailing edges 38, 42, is held against the externaldrum 20 by the leading and trailing edge clamping mechanisms 40, 44,thereby increasing the available imaging area of the printing plate 18.

A stationary ironing roller system 46 flattens the printing plate 18against the media support surface 22 of the external drum 20 as theexternal drum 20 rotates past the ironing roller 46 during the loadingof the printing plate 18. Alternately, or in addition, a vacuum source45 may be used to draw a vacuum through an arrangement of ports andvacuum grooves 47 (see, e.g., FIG. 2) formed in the media supportsurface 22 to hold the printing plate 18 against the media supportsurface 22. A registration system, comprising, for example, a set ofregistration pins or stops on the external drum 20, and a plate edgedetection system, may be used to accurately and repeatably position andlocate the printing plate 18 on the external drum 20. The plate edgedetection system, as described infra, may comprise, for example, aplurality of sensors and/or the scanning system 24.

A perspective view of the external drum 20 in accordance with thepresent invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. An end view and a plan viewof the external drum 20 are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively.As shown, the external drum 20 comprises an outer wall 48 that includesthe media support surface 22, a hollow cylindrical hub 50, and aplurality of radial spokes 52 extending between the cylindrical hub 50and the outer wall 48. The external drum 20 is rotated by the drivesystem 36 (FIG. 1) via shafts 53 coupled to the ends of the hub 50.

The external drum 20 is formed in a single piece using an extrusionprocess from a lightweight and strong material such as an aluminumalloy. Suitable aluminum alloys may include, for example, aluminum alloy6063-T5. Other aluminum alloys, or alloys formed of metals other thanaluminum, that can be suitably extruded, may also be used to form theexternal drum 20. In other embodiments of the present invention,however, the external drum 20 may be formed of a material such as steelor other ferromagnetic alloy using other processes. Such a material maybe required if the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 and/or trailingedge clamping mechanism 44 utilize magnetic or electromagnetic clampingcomponents.

The present invention provides a stiff external drum 20 having lowrotational inertia. This allows the external drum 20 to be acceleratedand decelerated more rapidly than other currently available drums, usingsmaller and less expensive motors, power supplies, etc., thereby furtherincreasing the throughput of the imaging system 10 of the presentinvention.

The outer wall 48 of the external drum 20 further includes a section 54containing a groove 56 that provides an interface for the leading edgeclamping mechanism 40. The leading edge clamping mechanism 40 isattached within the groove 56 by inserting and securing suitablemounting hardware (e.g., bolts, etc.) through the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 and corresponding apertures 58 formed in the bottom of thegroove 56. In the present invention, the groove 56 is disposed above oneof the radial spokes 52. The relative thickness of the outer wall 48 isincreased below the groove 56 to maintain minimum wall thicknessrequirements, and to offset any change in drum balance as a result ofremoving material to form the groove 56. By forming the groove 56 inthis location, the stiffness and strength of the external drum 20 arenot compromised. The groove 56 may be formed as part of the extrusionprocess, and/or may be machined into the external drum 20 afterextrusion.

To compensate for the weight of leading edge clamping mechanism 40, andother adjacent system components, thereby balancing the external drum 20during rotation, the section 60 of the external drum 20 opposite thegroove 56 is provided with extra material (i.e., extra mass). This isachieved by increasing the extruded thickness of the outer wall 48opposite the groove 56. Thus, the present invention nominally andinexpensively balances the external drum 20 and leading edge clampingmechanism 40 by adding extruded material opposite the clampingmechanism. Proper balancing of the external drum 20 helps to prevent theintroduction of vibration-induced artifacts into the images recorded onthe printing plate 18 by the imaging system 10.

The basic structure of the media handling system 70 of an external drumplatesetter 16 in accordance with the present invention is illustratedin FIG. 7. The external drum platesetter 16 includes an external drum 20(see, e.g., FIGS. 3-5) having a cylindrical media support surface 22 forsupporting a printing plate 18 during imaging. The external drum 20 issupported by a frame 72. A drive system 36 rotates the external drum 20during imaging. A scanning system 24, carried by a movable carriage 26,travels axially along the rotating external drum 20 to record digitaldata onto the imaging surface of the printing plate (see, e.g., FIG. 2).The external drum 20 and scanning system 24 are positioned on a base 74.The base 74 is formed of heavy material, such as a polymer-concretemixture, granite, or the like, to vibrationally isolate the externaldrum 20 and scanning system 24 from external vibrations, therebyreducing artifacts in the recorded image.

In order to load and hold the printing plate 18 in intimate contact withthe cylindrical media support surface 22 of the external drum 20 whilethe external drum 20 is rotated and an image is recorded onto theprinting plate 18, a leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is provided tohold a leading edge of a printing plate 18 in position against the mediasupport surface 22. The clamping system of the present invention,comprising the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 and the trailing edgeclamping mechanism 44, is capable of holding a variety of differentprinting plate widths either left, right, or center justified on theexternal drum 20. An actuating system 75, including an actuator 76(e.g., a pneumatic actuator, solenoid, etc.), selectively opens andcloses the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 to receive, capture, andrelease the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18. The actuatingsystem 75 of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is mounted to aframe member (not shown) of the external drum platesetter 16 such thatthe actuating system 75 is positioned above the media support surface 22of the external drum 20.

The leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is fixed in position on theexternal drum 20. The leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is positionedwithin a groove 56 (see, e.g., FIGS. 3-5) formed in the external drum20. A set of registration pins or stops 78 (hereafter referred to as“registration pins”) are incorporated into the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 to accurately and repeatably position, or “register,” theleading edge 38 of a printing plate 18 at a predetermined location onthe external drum 20, and to align the leading edge 38 of the printingplate 18 along an axis which is substantially parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the external drum 20. The registration pins 78 mayalso be incorporated into an electrical or other mechanical structurefor other purposes, such as to electronically or mechanically detect thepresence of the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 within theleading edge clamping mechanism 40.

An embodiment of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is illustratedin greater detail in FIGS. 8-11. FIGS. 8 and 9 provide end views of theleading edge clamping mechanism 40 in open and closed positions,respectively. FIGS. 8 and 9 additionally illustrate the operation of theactuator 76 and the function of the registration pins 78. FIG. 10provides a plan view of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40. FIG. 11illustrates the set of registration pins 78 and the mounting portion 80of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the leading edge clamping mechanism 40includes a mounting portion 80 and a clamping portion 82. The mountingportion 80 is used to secure the leading edge clamping mechanism 40within the groove 56 of the external drum 20. As described withreference to FIG. 5, the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 may beattached within the groove 56 by inserting and securing suitablemounting hardware (e.g., bolts, etc.) through the mounting portion 80and corresponding apertures 58 formed in the bottom of the groove 56.

The clamping portion 82 of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 isattached to the mounting portion 80 by a biasing system 84. The biasingsystem 84, which may comprise a spring system including one or moresprings, biases the clamping portion 82 of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 closed against the mounting portion 80 with sufficientforce to prevent the printing plate 18 from moving during rotation ofthe external drum 20. The actuator 76 is used to selectively open theleading edge clamping mechanism 40 to receive or release the leadingedge 38 of the printing plate 18. In particular, as shown in FIG. 8, theactuator 76 includes an extendable member 86 that is configured toselectively engage and press against the clamping portion 82, therebycounteracting the biasing force of the biasing system 84 and opening theleading edge clamping mechanism 40. When the clamping portion 82 of theleading edge clamping mechanism 40 is in an open position as illustratedin FIG. 8, a printing plate 18 may be loaded against the registrationpins 78 until two points of the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18are in contact with two registration pins 78.

As further illustrated in FIG. 8, during the loading of a printing plate18 onto the external drum 20, the leading edge 38 of the printing plate18 is accurately and repeatably positioned and aligned on the externaldrum 20 using the registration pins 78. As will be further illustratedbelow, only two axially spaced registration pins 78 contact the leadingedge 38 of the printing plate 18 to ensure that the leading edge 38 iscorrectly positioned along an axis which is substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the external drum 20. A plate edge detectionsystem (not shown), comprising, for example, an optical sensor, amechanical sensor, etc., is used to electronically and/or mechanicallysense or detect a perpendicular edge of the printing plate 18 (i.e., anedge perpendicular to the axis of the leading edge 38) to determine theaxial position of the printing plate 18 on the external drum 20. Oncethe exact position of the printing plate 18 is determined on theexternal drum 20, the scanning system 24 (see, e.g., FIGS. 1, 2, and 7)can be accurately positioned by the movable carriage 26 to record imagedata in predetermined locations on the printing plate 18 with respect tothe leading and perpendicular edges thereof.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18is secured in position on the external drum 20 by closing the leadingedge clamping mechanism 40. In particular, to close the leading edgeclamping mechanism 40, the actuator 76 retracts the member 86 away fromthe clamping portion 82. This removes the force that previouslycounteracted the biasing force applied against the clamping portion 82by the biasing system 84. Accordingly, the clamping portion 82 is nowforced toward the external drum 20 by the biasing system 84, therebysecuring the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 against theexternal drum 20.

After the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 has been properlypositioned against the registration pins 78 and secured to the externaldrum 20 by the leading edge clamping mechanism 40, subsequent mediahandling operations may then be performed to completely load theprinting plate 18 onto the external drum 20. Thereafter, image data maybe recorded on the printing plate 18 by the scanning system 24 as theprinting plate 18 is rotated on the external drum 20. Upon completion ofthe imaging process, the printing plate 18 is unloaded from the externaldrum 20 as will be described supra with reference to FIGS. 22-25. Alayer of rubber or other nonabrasive material 83 may be applied to theclamping portion 82 to prevent damage to the imaging surface of theprinting plate 18, to take-up the tolerances of the location of theclamping surface of the clamping portion 82, and to increase frictionbetween the clamping portion 82 and the printing plate 18.

A distal end 88 of the clamping portion 82 of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is weighted such that the center of gravity of the clampingportion 82 is located between the biasing system 84 and the distal end88. In FIGS. 8 and 9, for example, the center of gravity is to the“right” of the biasing system 84. By forming the clamping portion 82 inthis manner, the clamping force applied by the clamping portion 82against the external drum 20 and printing plate 18 increases as therotational speed of the external drum 20 increases. This helps toprevent the clamping portion 82 from inadvertently releasing the leadingedge 38 of the printing plate 18 during high speed rotation (e.g., 1000rpm) of the external drum 20 during imaging.

A plan view of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is illustrated inFIG. 10. As shown, the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 may include asingle clamping portion 82 that extends the length of the external drum20, which may be opened and closed by an actuating system comprising asingle actuator 76. Alternately, an actuating system comprising aplurality of actuators 76 (shown in phantom) may be positioned (e.g.,distributed along) the external drum 20 to open and close the singleclamping portion 82. The clamping portion 82 may also comprise aplurality of discrete sections 90 (shown in phantom), collectivelyoperated by an actuating system including a single actuator 76, or aplurality of actuators 76.

A plan view of the mounting portion 80 of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is illustrated in FIG. 11. The mounting portion 80 includesa channel 92 through which the registration pins 78 extend away from theexternal drum 20, and along which the registration pins 78 may beselectively positioned and secured according the size or sizes of theprinting plates 18 to be imaged. The channel 92 extends along the entirelength of the external drum 20 to allow the registration pins 78 to bepositioned at any axial location along the external drum 20. Generally,the registration pins 78 are positioned on the external drum 20 suchthat the leading edge 38 of a printing plate 18 contacts two of theregistration pins 78. The registration pins 78 may be fixed in positionalong the channel 92 in any suitable manner. Each registration pin 78includes a base 94 having a width W1 larger than the width W2 of thechannel 92.

Referring again to FIG. 7, a stationary ironing roller system 46 is usedto flatten the printing plate 18 against the media support surface 22 ofthe external drum 20 as the external drum 20 rotates past the ironingroller system 46 during the loading of the printing plate 18. Inparticular, the stationary ironing roller system 46 applies a force thatkeeps the printing plate 18 in contact against the media support surface22 of the external drum 20 as the external drum 20 is rotated and theprinting plate 18 is applied. The stationary ironing roller system 46comprises an ironing roller assembly 96, including one or more rollers,and an actuating system 98 for extending or retracting the ironingroller assembly 96 toward or away from the media support surface 22 ofthe external drum 20. The ironing roller assembly 96 is retracted awayfrom the external drum 20 prior to the imaging of the printing plate 18.The stationary ironing roller system 46 is mounted to a frame member(not shown) of the external drum platesetter 16 such that the stationaryironing roller system 46 is positioned above the media support surface22 of the external drum 20.

A trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 is provided to hold the trailingedge 42 (see, e.g., FIG. 1) of the printing plate 18 in place againstthe media support surface 22 of the external drum 20 during rotation ofthe external drum 20 and imaging of the printing plate 18.Operationally, the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 is held againstthe external drum 20 with enough force to resist the forces resultingfrom wrapping the normally flat printing plate 18 around the cylindricalexternal drum 20 and to counteract the centrifugal forces which act tolift the printing plate 18 and the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44off the external drum 20 during rotation of the external drum 20. Thesame functionality is also provided by the leading edge clampingmechanism 40.

If a single length printing plate 18 is to be imaged by the externaldrum platesetter 16, the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 may belocated at a fixed position on the external drum 20 corresponding to thelocation of the trailing edge 42 of the single length printing plate 18.The external drum platesetter 16 of the present invention, however, isintended to be used to image printing plates 18 having differentlengths. As such, the position of the trailing edge clamping mechanism44 is configured to be movable around the outer diameter of the externaldrum 20 with respect to the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 toaccommodate different plate lengths.

In the present invention, the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44employs a vacuum to hold the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18against the external drum 20. Other configurations that utilize amagnetic force, an electro-magnetic force, a mechanical force, etc., tohold the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 against the externaldrum 20, may also be used.

As illustrated very generally in FIG. 7, and in greater detail in FIGS.12-14, the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 includes a clamping bar100 that extends past both ends of the external drum 20. The clampingbar 100 includes a plurality of chambers 102 (FIG. 12) each formed by acontinuous flexible peripheral gasket 104. A single chamber formed by asingle continuous peripheral gasket extending across the external drummay also be used. A vacuum source 106 is connected to the clamping bar100 via a rotary union (not shown) and tubing 108. A check valve 110 isprovided to prevent a sudden loss of clamping force should the vacuumsource 106 become disconnected or otherwise inoperative. This allows theexternal drum 20 to be safely brought to a stop automatically or by anoperator before the vacuum clamping force is lost. The vacuum isdistributed to each of the plurality of chambers 102 through one or morehollow sections 112 (FIG. 13A) of the clamping bar 100. The hollowsections 112 extend along the length of the clamping bar 100 and intoeach of the chambers 102, thereby acting as a manifold. A pressurerelief valve 113 is located between the hollow sections 112.Alternately, the pressure relief valve 113 may be disposed at anysuitable location within the pneumatic circuit of the clamping bar 100.In operation, as shown in FIG. 13B, the trailing edge 42 of the printingplate 18 extends beneath the clamping bar 100 and is forced against themedia support surface 22 of the external drum 20 by the gasket 104 whena vacuum is supplied to the chamber(s) 102 by the vacuum source 106.

As further illustrated in FIG. 12, the clamping bar 100 is supported ateach end by a guided support post 114 that provides the clamping bar 100with a radial degree of translational freedom with respect to the mediasupport surface 22 of the external drum 20. This allows the clamping bar100 to be radially displaced away from or toward the media supportsurface 22 of the external drum 20 during the loading and unloading ofthe printing plate 18. Each support post 114 is coupled to a disc 116that is mounted coaxially to an end of the external drum 20 (one suchdisc 116 is shown in FIG. 7). Thus, one disc 116 is mounted coaxially toa first end of the external drum 20 and a second disc 116 is mountedcoaxially to a second, opposing end of the external drum 20. A biasingsystem 118 (e.g., a compression spring), biases each end of the clampingbar 100 radially away from the media support surface 22 of the externaldrum 20, allowing the clamping bar 100 to be freely rotated over andaround the external drum 20. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the clamping bar 100 may further be supported at a pluralityof locations along the external drum 20 using retainers 120 and attachedto the support posts 122 that slide within undercut slots 124 formed inthe external drum 20 (FIG. 14). The slots 124 extend at least partiallyabout the circumference of the external drum 20. A biasing system 126(e.g., a compression spring) is provided at each support post 122 tobias the clamping bar 100 radially away from the media support surface22 of the external drum 20. The small allowable motion of the clampingbar 100 combined with the plurality of support posts 114, 122, preventany part of the clamping bar 100 from deflecting into an area occupiedby imaging optics, system electronics, media transport mechanisms, etc.,even if the vacuum force is lost while the external drum 20 is rotating.

A counterweight 128 (FIGS. 7 and 12) may be attached to, or integrallyformed with, each of the discs 116 to counterbalance the overall mass ofthe trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 with respect to the axis of theexternal drum 20. This helps to properly balance the external drum 20 toprevent the introduction of vibration-induced artifacts into the imagesrecorded on the printing plate 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, a drive system 130, including, for example, amotor driven friction wheel 131, is selectively actuated into a driveposition against at least one (typically both) of the discs 116 using apneumatic actuator 132 or other actuating system (e.g., solenoid, etc.).The pneumatic actuator 132 causes a normal force between the drivesystem 130 and the disc 116. The discs 116 and attached clamping bar 100may be rotated to any position around the external drum 20 by a rotationof the drive system 130. A spring 133 is provided to bias the drivesystem 130 away from the disc 116 to a non-drive position in the eventof a failure of the pneumatic actuator 132.

The trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 further includes an actuationsystem 134 for selectively forcing the clamping bar 100 against theexternal drum 20 and over the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18.The actuation system 134 is used to counteract the forces of the biasingsystems 118, 126, to push the clamping bar 100 against the external drum20 creating a seal between the gaskets 104, the trailing edge 42 of theprinting plate 18, and the external drum 20 (see also FIG. 13B).

As shown in FIG. 7, the actuation system 134 includes an actuator 136(e.g., a pneumatic actuator, solenoid, etc.) and an extendible arm 138.After the clamping bar 100 is forced against the trailing edge 42 of theprinting plate 18 by the actuation system 134, the air within thechambers 102 is evacuated by vacuum source 106 (see, e.g., FIG. 12),thereby holding the clamping bar 100 against the external drum 20 andthe trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18. The actuation system 134of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 is mounted to a frame member(not shown) of the external drum platesetter 16 such that the actuationsystem 134 is positioned above the media support surface 22 of theexternal drum 20.

The operation and media input flow of the media handling system 70 ofthe external drum platesetter 16 is illustrated in FIGS. 16-21. Itshould be noted that although the following steps are described in aspecific order, many of the steps (or sets thereof) may be performed ina different order (or omitted) without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

In FIG. 16, a single printing plate 18 is positioned, or “staged,” on aninput tray 140 above a pair of input nip roller assemblies 142, whereineach input nip roller assembly 142 includes at least one resilient inputnip roller 144. The input tray 140 is positioned adjacent a front areaof the external drum platesetter 16 such that the printing plate 18 isloaded on the input tray 140 from a front of the external drumplatesetter 16. At least a portion of the input tray 140 is positioneddirectly over the external drum 20. In FIG. 7, for example, the inputtray 140 is positioned directly over, and completely within a spacedefined by the diameter D of (see FIG. 7), the external drum 20. Bypositioning the input tray 140 in this manner, the overall floor space(i.e., “footprint”) of the external drum platesetter 16 is reduced.

The leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 is positioned by the inputtray 140 to rest substantially between the input nip roller assemblies142. The input nip roller assemblies 142 are positioned above theexternal drum 20 and are oriented such that the common tangent of therollers 144 is tangent to the media support surface 22 of the externaldrum 20. The input tray 140 is oriented such that the loading path ofthe printing plate 18 supported thereon extends along a line that istangent to the external drum 20 at the leading edge clamping mechanism40.

A curved input/output guide platen 150, mounted to a frame member (notshown) of the external drum platesetter 16 may be provided to direct theleading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 toward the leading edgeclamping mechanism 40 during the loading of the printing plate 18 ontothe external drum 20. In addition, the curved input/output guide platen150 is configured to direct the printing plate 18 off of the externaldrum 20 toward a plate output area, such as an output tray 200, afterimaging is complete. Depending upon the specific arrangement of thevarious components of the external drum platesetter 16, the input/outputguide platen 150 may be fixed in position relative to the external drum20, or may be selectively displaced between a plate loading andunloading location by a drive system (not shown). Other guide means maybe used in lieu of, or in conjunction with, the input/output guideplaten 150, to guide the printing plate 18 onto and off of the externaldrum 20 during the loading and unloading of the printing plate 18.

Prior to loading the printing plate 18 on the external drum 20, severalsteps are performed. First, the external drum 20 is rotated, ifnecessary, by the drive system 36, until the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is in position to receive the leading edge 38 of theprinting plate 18. The clamping portion 82 of the leading edge mountingmechanism 40 is held in an open position by the actuator 76, therebyexposing the registration pins 78 (see, e.g., FIG. 8). The trailing edgeclamping mechanism 44 is rotated by the drive system 130, if necessary,to position the clamping bar 100 out of the way of the loading path ofthe printing plate 18. The actuation system 134 for the trailing edgeclamping mechanism 44, and the ironing roller system 46, are alsoretracted away from the media support surface 22 of the external drum20, if necessary, out of the way of the loading path of the printingplate 18.

The input nip rollers 144 of one of the input nip roller assemblies 142are mounted on a rotatable transport drive shaft 148. A drive system(not shown) is provided to selectively rotate the transport drive shaft148 and the input nip rollers 144 mounted thereon to propel the leadingedge 38 of the printing plate 18 toward and into the leading edgeclamping mechanism 40, until the leading edge 38 of the printing plate18 comes to rest against two of the registration pins 78 (shown inphantom in FIG. 16). The input nip roller assemblies 142 are configuredto automatically deskew the printing plate 18, if necessary, to ensurethat two of the registration pins 78 are contacted by the leading edge38 of the printing plate 18.

As shown in FIG. 17, after the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18is properly positioned against two of the registration pins 78, theleading edge clamping mechanism 40 is closed, thereby pinching theprinting plate 18 against the external drum 20 while the leading edge 38of the printing plate 18 remains in contact with the registration pins78. In particular, as previously described in detail in reference toFIG. 9, as the actuator 76 retracts the member 86 away from the clampingportion 82 of the leading edge mounting mechanism 40, the biasing system84 biases the clamping portion 82 closed against the external drum 20.This traps the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 in a registeredposition between the clamping and mounting portions 80, 82, of theleading edge clamping mechanism 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, after the leading edge clamping operation,the external drum 20 is rotated a few degrees by the drive system 36.Next, the ironing roller assembly 96 of the stationary ironing rollersystem 46 is extended and positioned against the printing plate 18 bythe actuating system 98. The force applied by the ironing rollerassembly 96 keeps the printing plate 18 in contact against the mediasupport surface 22 of the external drum 20. The external drum 20 and thetransport drive shaft 148 continue to rotate synchronously, while theprinting plate 18 is forced against the external drum 20 by the ironingroller assembly 96, thereby further drawing the printing plate 18 fromthe input tray 140 and wrapping the printing plate 18 around the mediasupport surface 22 of the external drum 20, until the trailing edge 42of the printing plate 18 is positioned adjacent the actuation system 134of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44. This configuration is shownin FIG. 19. As the external drum 20 is rotated, the discs 116, and thetrailing edge clamping mechanism 44 and clamping bar 100 mountedthereon, remain stationary.

The transport drive shaft 148 is deactivated after the trailing edge 42of the printing plate 18 passes completely through the input nip rollerassemblies 142. At this point in the media input/output flow, as shownin FIG. 19, an operator may place another printing plate 18′ in a stagedposition on the input tray 140 above the pair of resilient input niproller assemblies 142. In accordance with the present invention, theprinting plate 18′ may be positioned on the input tray 140 even as thepre-imaging loading and clamping steps described below for the printingplate 18 are being performed. This increases the throughput of theexternal drum platesetter 16, when compared to existing external drumimaging systems, since an operator no longer has to wait to load thenext printing plate 18′ to be imaged until the previous printing plate18 has been completely loaded, imaged and removed from a single, commoninput/output location.

When the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is positionedadjacent the actuation system 134 of the trailing edge clampingmechanism 44, the discs 116 are rotated by the drive system 130 toposition the clamping bar 100 over the trailing edge 42 of the printingplate 18. This configuration is illustrated in FIG. 20. The location ofthe trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is determined based on thedimensions of the printing plate 18, which are typically input into acontrol system of the external drum imagesetter 16 via an operatorcontrol terminal (OCT) (not shown), the workstation 12 (FIG. 1), orother input system. Alternately, or in addition, a plate edge sensingsystem (not shown) may be used to automatically detect the trailing edge42 of the printing plate 18.

The clamping bar 100, which is normally biased away from the externaldrum 20, is then forced against the external drum 20 by the actuationsystem 134. A vacuum is subsequently introduced in each of the pluralityof chambers 102 underneath the clamping bar 100 by the vacuum source 106(FIG. 12), causing the clamping bar 100 to be firmly attached to theexternal drum 20 and over the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18.Next, as illustrated in FIG. 21, the actuation system 134 of thetrailing edge clamping mechanism 44 and the ironing roller assembly 96of the stationary ironing roller system 46 are retracted away from theexternal drum 20. The drive system 130 is also retracted away from thediscs 116. The printing plate 18 is now held in place for subsequentimaging by the leading and trailing edge clamping mechanisms 40, 44. Avacuum may then be introduced between the printing plate 18 and theexternal drum 20 (e.g., in vacuum grooves 47 (FIG. 2)) by vacuum source45 (FIG. 1) to hold the body of the printing plate 18 firmly against theexternal drum 20. Alternately, the vacuum may be applied during theloading of the printing plate 18 to reduce the time required to evacuatethe air between the printing plate 18 and the external drum 20. Theprinting plate 18 is now fully applied to the external drum 20 and readyfor side edge registration and subsequent imaging by the scanning system24.

The external drum 20 is then rotated up to speed. The scanning system 24is linearly advanced by the movable carriage 26 to record an image ontothe printing plate 18. After imaging, the scanning system 24 is “parked”in a home position (e.g., adjacent an end of the external drum 20), andthe external drum 20 is braked to a stop.

The operation and media output flow of the media handling system 70 ofthe external drum platesetter 16 is illustrated in FIGS. 22-25. Again,it should be noted that although the following steps are described in aspecific order, many of the steps (or sets thereof) may be performed ina different order (or omitted) without departing from the scope of thepresent invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 22, upon completion of imaging, the external drum20 is brought to a stop with the clamping bar 100 positioned beneath theretracted actuation system 134. The ironing roller assembly 96 islowered onto the printing plate 18 to prevent the printing plate 18 fromreleasing or dropping off the external drum 20 upon the subsequentrelease of clamping bar 100. Next, the vacuum applied to the clampingbar 100 and the external drum 20 is turned off. Residual vacuum isreleased from under the clamping bar 100 by an actuator (not shown) thatselectively actuates the pressure relief valve 113 located between thehollow section 112 of the clamping bar 100. The actuator of the pressurerelief valve 113 may be disposed on the actuation system 134 of thetrailing edge clamping mechanism 44, or may be formed separatelytherefrom.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the biasing force applied by the biasingsystem 118 (FIG. 12) exceeds the vacuum force holding the clamping bar100 against the external drum 20, the clamping bar 100 is displacedradially away from the external drum 20. At this point, the actuationsystem 134 of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 is retracted, andthe clamping bar 100 is rotated away (shown in phantom in FIG. 23) fromthe output path of the printing plate 18 in response to a rotation ofthe discs 116 by the drive system 130 (FIG. 15). With the printing plate18 still held against the external drum 20 by the ironing rollerassembly 96, and the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 stillclamped within the leading edge clamping mechanism 40, the external drum20 is rotated in an opposite direction (the input/output guide platen150 may also be displaced), to advance the trailing edge 42 of theprinting plate 18 toward an output area such as output tray 200. Thetrailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is guided by the input/outputguide platen 150 between a pair of output nip roller assemblies 202(FIG. 24) each including at least one resilient nip roller. The supportshafts of the output nip roller assemblies 202 are mounted to a framemember (not shown) of the external drum platesetter 16. At least one ofthe output nip roller assemblies 202 is mounted on a rotatable driveshaft 204. The driven output nip rollers force the printing plate 18between the output nip roller assemblies 202 toward the output tray 200.The printing plate 18 is also forced toward the output tray 200 by therotation of the external drum 20 which rotates synchronously with theoutput nip rollers 202.

The rotation of the external drum 20 and the output nip rollerassemblies 202 is temporarily halted when the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is located adjacent the ironing roller assembly 96. Theironing roller assembly 96 is then retracted, and the external drum isfurther rotated, if necessary, until the leading edge clamping mechanism40 is located at its home position (i.e., under the actuator 76). Theclamping portion 82 of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is thenopened by the actuator 76, as shown in FIG. 25, thereby completely,freeing the printing plate 18 from the external drum 20. The output niproller assemblies 202 are subsequently rotated until the printing plate18 is expelled onto the output tray 200, trailing edge 42 first (shownin phantom in FIG. 25). The actuator 76 of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is then retracted. As soon as the printing plate 18 is outof the loading path, the next printing plate 18′, previously staged onthe input tray 140, may be loaded onto the external drum 20 for imaging.

The output tray 200 is located at the rear of the external drumplatesetter 16. Thus, a printing plate 18 is loaded onto the input tray140 at the front of the external drum platesetter 16, while an imagedprinting plate 18 is removed from the output tray 200 from a rear area(i.e., behind the input tray 140) of the external drum platesetter 16.As shown in FIG. 25, the input tray 140 is formed separately from theoutput tray 200. In particular, the input tray 140 is positioned infront of (looking from right to left in FIG. 25 (i.e., from the front tothe rear of the external drum platesetter 16)). In addition, at least aportion of the input tray 140 is located above the output tray 200.Further, at least a portion of the input tray 140 may extend over theoutput tray 200 toward the rear of the external drum platesetter 16. InFIG. 25, for example, the input tray 140 is positioned such that it iscompletely above the level of the output tray 200. As shown in FIG. 6,however, a portion of the input tray 140 may extend to, or below, thelevel of the output tray 200. By positioning the input tray 140 in thismanner relative to the output tray 200 the overall footprint of theexternal drum platesetter 16 is reduced further.

The output tray 200 is illustrated in FIG. 25 as having a horizontalorientation (i.e., substantially parallel to a floor surface on whichthe external drum platesetter 16 is supported). The output tray 200,however, may also be angled relative to the floor such that the printingplate 18 is directed upward along the output tray 200 during theunloading process. This configuration of such an output tray 200′ isshown in phantom in FIG. 25. This further reduces the overall footprintof the external drum platesetter 16.

The relative positions and/or orientations of the input tray 140 andoutput tray 200 also may apply to the input tray 440 and output tray 510of the external drum platesetter 300 described infra with regard toFIGS. 27-44.

The imaged printing plate 18 may be manually removed by an operator fromthe output tray 200 from the sides or rear of the output tray 200.Alternately, the output tray 200 may include a conveying apparatus toautomatically unload the imaged printing plate 18 from the sides or rearof the output tray 200 into, for example, a plate storage area, or anonline processor. As shown in FIG. 6, the imaged printing plate 18 mayalso be removed from the output tray 200 from the front of the externaldrum platesetter 16 (directional arrow 141) through an opening 143formed in the input tray 140. Removal of the printing plate 18 throughthe opening 143 may be more convenient, for example, if the externaldrum platesetter 16 is positioned in a corner of a room, or if the rearof the external drum platesetter 16 is positioned against a wall.

In the external drum platesetter 16 of the present invention, throughputis increased since a operator may load a printing plate 18′ on the inputtray 140 while a previously loaded printing plate 18 is being loaded onthe external drum 20 (see, e.g., FIG. 19), while the printing plate 18is being imaged (see, FIG. 21), and/or while the imaged printing plate18 is being unloaded onto the output tray 200 (see, e.g., FIG. 25).Indeed, the printing plate 18′ may be loaded on the input tray 140 assoon as, or anytime after, the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18has passed through the input nip roller assemblies 142. Further, theactuating systems 75, 46, and 134, of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40, the ironing roller assembly 96, and the trailing edgeclamping mechanism 44, respectively, are each located in the sameposition relative to the external drum 20 during the loading, imaging,and unloading of the printing plate 18; no additional displacements arerequired, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the actuatingsystems. Also, the clamping bar 100 and the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 never leave the vicinity of the external drum 20, andtherefore cannot be lost.

A control system 800 for controlling the media input/output operation ofthe external drum platesetter 16 is illustrated in block form in FIG.48. Although not described, a similar control system is utilized tocontrol the media input/output operation of the (VLF) external drumplatesetter 300.

As illustrated in FIG. 48, the control system 800 generally comprises acomputer or workstation 802 used for system diagnostics, and a mediamotion control board 804, comprising, for example, a stand-alone PCboard or similar system, for controlling all media input/output tasks(media motion) except for the motion (i.e., rotation) of the externaldrum 20. A separate drum motion control board 806, again comprising, forexample, a stand-alone PC board, is provided to control the motion ofthe external drum 20. Alternately, a single PC board may be used tocontrol all media input/output tasks including the motion of theexternal drum 20. In the following description of the control system800, the term “servo” is defined as the combination of a drive motor, anencoder (e.g., position or velocity), and a feedback (e.g., position orvelocity) control loop.

The media motion control board 804 sends and/or receives controlinformation to/from the servos associated with the drive systems of theinput nip roller assemblies 142, the output nip roller assemblies 202,and the discs 116 for selectively positioning the clamping bar 100 aboutthe external drum 20. The media motion control board 804 also sendsand/or receives power, control, actuation, and/or other operationalsignals to/from various components of the external drum platesetter 16,including, for example, the actuator 76 of the leading edge clampingmechanism 40, the actuating system 98 of the ironing roller system 46,the actuation system 134 of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44, thevacuum sources 45 and 106 (i.e., the drum and clamping bar vacuumsources), the drive system (if present) of the input/output guide platen150, the drive systems 130 of the discs 116, etc. The media motioncontrol board 804 also receives information from various sensors(described infra) that are used, for example, to determine the positionof the printing plate 18 within, and relative to various components of,the external drum platesetter 16.

The drum motion control board 806 sends and/or receives information(e.g., control, power, position, velocity, etc.) to/from the servo(s)associated with the drive system 36 of the external drum 20. The drummotion control board 806 also receives information from various sensors(described infra) that are used, for example, to control the rotation ofthe external drum 20 during media input/output and imaging.

The present invention employs several sensors to track the location ofthe printing plate 18 within the input/output path of the external drumplatesetter 16. (Similar sensors may also be used where appropriate inexternal drum platesetter 300.) For example, a pair of sensors 810, 812(see FIG. 49) are suitably located adjacent the input nip rollerassemblies 142 to detect the presence (or absence) of a printing plate18 loaded in the input tray 140. A sensor 814 (see FIG. 16) is also usedto indicate when the clamping bar 100 of the trailing edge clampingmechanism 44 is positioned under the actuation system 134 of thetrailing edge clamping mechanism 44. There is also a sensor 816 todetect when the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 has passedthrough the output nip roller assemblies 202 (see FIG. 24) during theunloading of the imaged printing plate 18. Each of the sensors 810, 812,814, and 816, may be an optical, electrical, or mechanical switch orother device capable of detecting the presence of the printing plate 18.

The operation of the sensors 810, 812, is illustrated in FIG. 49. Inparticular, sensor 810 provides an indication that the left edge (LE) ofthe printing plate 18 is at least to the left of the sensor 810 toensure that the printing plate 18 is located in a proper zone forimaging. Indicia, and/or a mechanical stop 818 (see FIG. 6) may beprovided on the input tray 140 to assist the operator in loading theprinting plate 18 on the input tray 140 such that the left edge LE willbe located to the left of the sensor 810. If the sensor 810 does notsense the printing plate 18, while the sensor 812 located to the rightof sensor 810 does, an error message will result and the input andsubsequent imaging of the improperly positioned printing plate 18 willnot occur.

The sensors 810, 812, may also be used in cooperation with the servo(encoder) associated with the driven input nip roller assembly 142,and/or the servo (encoder) associated with the drive system 36 of theexternal drum 20, to measure the plate wrap dimension (i.e., thedistance between the leading edge 38 and trailing edge 42) of theprinting plate 18. For example, the plate wrap dimension may bedetermined by measuring the rotational travel of either or both of thedriven input nip roller assembly 142 and/or external drum 20 between thedetection of the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 and thedetection of the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 by thesensors 810, 812. The sensor based determination of the plate wrapdimension serves as a double-check of the plate wrap dimension inputvalue provided by an operator of the external drum platesetter 16. Anerror message will result, for example, if the plate wrap dimensionvalue provided by the operator does not match the plate wrap dimensiondetected by the sensors. This may occur, for example, if the wrong sizeprinting plate is inadvertently loaded into the input tray 140. Thevalue of the plate wrap dimension is used to advance the trailing edge42 of the printing plate 18 adjacent the actuation system 134 of thetrailing edge clamping mechanism 44.

The sensors 810, 812, may be used for other purposes. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 50, the sensors 810, 812, may be used to determinethe degree of skew Δ° of the printing plate 18 as it passes through theinput nip roller assemblies 142. In particular, skew may be determinedby detecting the time between the detection of different portions of thetrailing edge 38 of the printing plate 18 by the sensors 810, 812. Sincethe size of the printing plate 18 and the velocity of the printing plate18 through the input nip roller assembly 142 are known, the skew can beeasily calculated. Once determined, the skew can be compensated for bythe scanning system 24 in a known manner. Alternately, if the skewexceeds a predetermined amount, an error message will be generated, andthe loading process will be terminated.

Once the printing plate 18 is mounted on the external drum 20, thescanning system 24 can be advanced across the printing plate 18 todetect the left edge and right edge of the printing plate 18, therebylocating the printing plate 18 on the external drum 20 for subsequentimaging, and determining the longitudinal dimension of the printingplate 18 across the external drum 20. The longitudinal dimension of theprinting plate 18 serves as a double-check of the plate width inputvalue provided by an operator of the external drum platesetter 16. Also,given the position of the left edge of the printing plate 18, image datamay be recorded at a predetermined distance from the left edge of theprinting plate 18 using the servo/encoder of the movable carriage 26.The same is also true for placing the image data with respect to theleading edge 38 of the printing plate 18. Specifically, the servo of thedrive system 36 of the external drum 20 can be used to position the edgeof the image data at a predetermined distance from the leading edge 38(from the registration pins 78) of the printing plate 18.

The general input/output flow of the external drum platesetter 16 issummarized in FIGS. 26A and 26B (refer to FIGS. 16-25 for the specificcomponent reference numbers). In step 210, an operator places a printingplate 18 onto the input tray 140, with the leading edge 38 of theprinting plate 18 positioned between the input nip roller assemblies142. The sensors 810, 812, detect the presence of the printing plate 18at the input nip roller assemblies 142. In step 212, the external drum20 is rotated, if necessary, to position the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 for plate loading. The actuating system 75 opens theclamping portion 82 of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40, exposingthe registration pins 78, and the external drum 20 is held stationary.In step 214, the input nip roller assemblies 142 deskew and propel theprinting plate 18 into the external drum imagesetter 16 until theleading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 contacts the registration pins78. In step 216, the actuating system 75 closes the clamping portion 82of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 against the leading edge 38 ofthe printing plate 18. In step 218, the external drum 20 is rotated afew degrees by the drive system 36 and the actuating system 98 forcesthe ironing roller assembly 96 against the printing plate 18. In step220, the external drum 20 is rotated, with the ironing roller assembly96 forcing the printing plate 18 against the external drum 20, until thetrailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is positioned adjacent theactuation system 134 of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 44 (asdetermined by sensor 814). The input sensors 810, 812 measure the skewof the trailing edge 42. During the rotation of the external drum 20,the plate wrap dimension is determined. In step 222, which may beperformed as soon as the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18passes completely through the input nip roller assemblies 142, therotation of the input nip roller assemblies 142 is stopped. At thispoint, or during or after any of the following steps 224-244, theoperator may place another printing plate 18′ onto the input tray 140.In step 224, the discs 116 are rotated to position the clamping bar 100over the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 and under theactuation system 134. In step 226, the clamping bar 100 is forcedagainst and over the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 by theactuation system 134, and a vacuum is introduced in each of the chambersformed underneath the clamping bar 100. This causes the clamping bar 100to be firmly attached against the external drum 20, thereby pinching thetrailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 against the external drum 20.In step 228, the actuation system 134 and the ironing roller assembly 96are moved away from the external drum 20, and a vacuum is introducedbetween the printing plate 18 and the external drum 20. The printingplate is now fully applied to the external drum 20. In step 230, afterside edge registration of the printing plate 18, the external drum 20 isrotated and the printing plate 18 is imaged.

After imaging is complete, the external drum 20 is brought to a stop instep 232, with the clamping bar 100 positioned under the actuatingsystem 134. In step 234, the ironing roller assembly 96 is extendedagainst the printing plate 18, and the vacuum to the clamping bar 100and the external drum 20 is turned off. Residual vacuum beneath theclamping bar 100 is released by opening the pressure relief valve 113(e.g., using the actuating system 134). In the absence of the vacuum,the clamping bar 100 is automatically biased away from the trailing edge42 of the printing plate 18 by the biasing system 118 (see, e.g., FIG.12). In step 236, the clamping bar 100 is rotated out of the output pathof the printing plate 18. In step 238, the external drum 20 is rotatedto position and direct the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18between and through the rotating output nip roller assemblies 202 towardthe output tray 200. The trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 isguided into the output nip roller assemblies 202 by the input/outputplaten 150. The trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 is detectedexiting the output nip roller assemblies 202 by the sensor 816. In step240, rotation of the external drum 20 and the output nip rollerassemblies 202 is temporarily halted when the leading edge clampingmechanism 40 is located beneath the actuating system 75. The ironingroller assembly 96 is then retracted. In step 242, the clamping portion82 of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40 is opened by the actuator76, completely freeing the printing plate 18 from against the externaldrum 20. Finally, in step 244, the output nip roller assemblies 202 areagain rotated until the printing plate 18 is expelled onto the outputtray 200. The sensor 816 provides a signal indicating that the printingplate 18 has passed completely through the output nip roller assemblies202. The printing plate 18′ previously loaded on the input tray 140, maynow be mounted on the external drum 20 starting at step 212.

A very large format (VLF) external drum platesetter 300 in accordancewith an alternate embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 27. Although this embodiment of the present invention provides avery large format (VLF) external drum platesetter 300 capable of handingand imaging printing plates having dimensions of up to 58″×80″, orgreater, the platesetter 300 may be used to record image data ontoalmost any size printing plate. Examples of plate sizes that may beimaged on the external drum platesetter 300 include, inter alia,45″×50″, 45″×57″, 50″×60″, 55″×70″, and 58″×80″. A range of possibleplate sizes is from 20″×28″ to 58″×80″.

The external drum platesetter 300 is similar to the external drumplatesetter 16 described above with reference to FIG. 7. In particular,the external drum platesetter 300 includes an external drum 320 having acylindrical media support surface 322 for supporting a printing plate318 during imaging. The external drum 320 is supported by a frame 372. Adrive system 336 rotates the external drum 320 during imaging. Ascanning system 324, carried by a movable carriage 326, travels axiallyalong the rotating external drum 320 to record digital data onto theimaging surface of the printing plate 318. The external drum 320 andscanning system 324 are positioned on a heavy, stable base 374.

A leading edge clamping mechanism 340 is provided to hold and register aleading edge 338 of the printing plate 318 in position against the mediasupport surface 322. The leading edge clamping mechanism 340 has aconfiguration similar to that of the leading edge clamping mechanism 40employed in the external drum platesetter 16, and operates in a similarmanner. In particular, the leading edge clamping mechanism 340 isselectively opened and closed by an actuating system 375, including anactuator 376 (e.g., a pneumatic actuator, solenoid, etc.) and extendiblemember 386. The leading edge clamping mechanism 340 is provided toselectively receive, capture, and release the leading edge 338 of theprinting plate 318. The leading edge clamping mechanism 340 is fixed inposition on the external drum 320, within a groove (see, e.g., FIGS.3-5) formed in the external drum 320. A set of selectively positionableregistration pins 378 are incorporated into the leading edge clampingmechanism 340 to register the leading edge 338 of the printing plate318.

A stationary ironing roller system 346 is used to selectively force theprinting plate 318 against the media support surface 322 of the externaldrum 320 as the external drum 320 rotates past the ironing roller system346 during the loading of the printing plate 318. The stationary ironingroller system 346 includes an ironing roller assembly 396, including oneor more rollers, and an actuating system 398 for selectively extendingor retracting the ironing roller assembly 396 toward or away from theexternal drum 320. The ironing roller assembly 396 is retracted awayfrom the external drum 320 prior to the imaging of the printing plate318.

There are several differences between the external drum platesetter 16and the external drum platesetter 300. These differences are primarilydue to the fact that the printing plates 318 imaged by the external drumplatesetter 300 are generally much larger, heavier, and more unwieldy,than the printing plates 18 imaged by the external drum platesetter 16.For example, the external drum platesetter 300 includes a landing zone400 which provides a broad surface for an operator to initially rest atleast a portion of the printing plate 318 on, as it is brought to theplatesetter 300. Once the plate is “landed” on the landing zone 400, theoperator can easily slide the printing plate 318 up onto an input tray440 to a staged position.

The input tray 440 is pivotable about a pivot point P between a landingposition (shown in solid lines), where the input tray 440 is alignedwith the landing zone 400 (e.g., coplanar with, or parallel to, thelanding zone 400), and a loading position (shown in phantom), where theinput tray 440 and the printing plate 318 are angled more steeply downtoward the external drum 320. The input tray 440 may be manually orautomatically pivoted between the landing and loading positions. A guard442 prevents the printing plate 318 from sliding off the input tray 440as the input tray 440 is pivoted between the landing and loadingpositions.

When the input tray 440 is in the loading position, the weight of theprinting plate 318 may cause the printing plate 318 to slide downwardtoward the external drum 320 (i.e., the printing plate 318 is fed bygravity toward the external drum 320). A door 414, or similar escapementmechanism, which is selectively activated (e.g., extended or retracted)by an actuator 416 (e.g., a pneumatic actuator, solenoid, etc.), may beprovided to regulate the displacement of the printing plate 318.Alternately, the printing plate 318 may be allowed to slide toward theexternal drum 320 as soon as the leading edge 338 of the printing plate318 clears the guard 442. A roller system, such as the input nip rollerassembly 144 (FIG. 16), or other suitable system, may also be used tocontrollably direct the printing plate 318 toward and onto the externaldrum 320.

As soon as the trailing edge 342 of the printing plate 318 is pulled offthe input tray 440 as the printing plate 318 is loaded onto the externaldrum 320, the input tray 440 may be manually or automatically pivotedback to its landing position. Once the loading tray 440 is returned tothe landing position, an operator may place the next printing plate 318′(FIG. 39) to be imaged on the landing zone 400, and then slide theprinting plate 318′ up onto the input tray 440 to a staged position. Thenext printing plate 318′ may be positioned on the input tray 440 even asthe pre-imaging loading and clamping steps describe below for theprinting plate 318 are being performed, thereby increasing thethroughput of the external drum platesetter 300.

In the external drum platesetter 16 (see, e.g., FIG. 21), enough vacuumforce is generated between the clamping bar 100 and the external drum 20to securely clamp the trailing edge 42 of the printing plate 18 againstthe external drum 20 during imaging, even when the external drum 20 isrotating at a high rate of speed (e.g., 100-1000 rpm). In the VLFexternal drum platesetter 300, however, it is much more difficult(though not impossible) to produce a vacuum force sufficient tocounteract the forces which act to lift the printing plate 318 off ofthe external drum 320 during imaging. These forces are due, for example,to the increased weight, greater thickness, and higher resultantresilience of the printing plates 318. To overcome these forces, theexternal drum platesetter 300 includes a trailing edge clampingmechanism 344 that employs a set of magnetic clamps 350 to securelyclamp the trailing edge 342 of the printing plate 318 against theexternal drum 320.

The set of magnetic clamps 350 employed by the trailing edge clampingmechanism 344 may include a single, elongated magnetic clamp thatextends across the length of the external drum 320, or may comprise aplurality of discrete magnetic clamps which are distributed across theexternal drum 320. The set of magnetic clamps 350 may be collectively orindividually positioned against, and removed from, the external drum 320by an actuating system 352 comprising at least one actuator. Anunderside of each of the magnetic clamps 350 is covered with adeformable layer of rubber 351 or other suitable nonabrasive material toprevent damage to the printing plate 318.

As illustrated in FIGS. 27-28, a conveying system 500 may be provided tohelp propel an imaged printing plate 318 toward and onto an output tray510 of the external drum platesetter 300. In addition, or alternately, aroller system 501 (FIG. 27), such as the output nip roller assemblies202 (FIG. 24), or other suitable system, may be used to controllablydirect the printing plate 318 toward and onto the output tray 510. Theconveying system 500 includes a plurality of belts 502 that extendaround sets of pulleys 504 mounted on shafts 506. At least one of theshafts 506 is rotated by a drive system (not shown), which causes arotation of the pulleys 504 and the belts 502 mounted thereon. The belts502 comprise rubber or other suitable material. Other conveying systemsmay also be used. In FIGS. 27-28, the belts 502 are rotated in acounterclockwise direction to position an imaged printing plate 318 ontothe output tray 510 (directional arrow 512). Once fully unloaded intothe output tray 510, the rotation of the belts 502 is terminated, andthe printing plate 318 may be manually or automatically removed from therear (directional arrow 514) or from either side (directional arrows516, 518) of the output tray 510

A roller arrangement 520, shown in FIG. 28, may be provided to displacethe printing plate 318 off of the output tray 510. As illustrated, theroller arrangement 520 may comprise a plurality of rollers 522, some orall of which are rotated by suitable drive systems (not shown) todisplace the printing plate 318 toward either side (directional arrows516, 518) of the output tray 510. As illustrated in FIG. 29, theprinting plate (not shown) is selectively directed through a slot 530,or other suitable opening, formed in either or both sides 532, 534 (FIG.29), of the housing 536 of the external drum platesetter 300.Alternately, a slot or opening (not shown) may be formed in the rear ofthe housing 536. In this case, the printing plate 318 is directedthrough the rear slot by the conveying system 501 (FIG. 27). In FIG. 29,for example, a printing plate (not shown) may be directed through theslot 530 into an on-line processor 540 which chemically develops, fixes,and washes the printing plate 318. Also shown in FIG. 29 is a cover 542for covering the output tray 510, and an output tray 544 for the on-lineprocessor 540. The cover 542 may be a light-tight cover for preventingexposure of the printing plate 318 prior to developing the imagerecorded thereon.

The general input/output flow of the external drum platesetter 300 issummarized in FIGS. 30A and 30B (refer to FIGS. 27-29 and 31-44 for thespecific component reference numbers). It should be noted that althoughthe following steps are described in a specific order, many of the steps(or sets thereof) may be performed in a different order (or omitted)without departing from the scope of the present invention. In step 610,an operator positions and rests a printing plate 318 on the landing zone400. The landing zone 400 is provided to initially support the printingplate 318 as it is brought to the external drum platesetter 300. Byproviding the landing zone 400, the operator is not required toimmediately maneuver the often large, heavy, and bulky printing plate318 into position on the input tray 440. Instead, the operator mayinitially rest the printing plate 318 on the landing zone 400, and theneasily and accurately slide the printing plate 318 up onto the inputtray 440 to a staged position.

In step 612, the printing plate 318 is slid onto the input tray 440 andpositioned in a staged position (see also FIG. 31). During step 612, theprinting plate 318 may also be center justified, left justified, rightjustified, or otherwise suitably oriented in a loading position withinthe input tray 440. The loading position of the printing plate 318 maybe indicated by indicia or mechanical stops formed on or adjacent theinput tray 440.

In step 614, the input tray 440 is pivoted from the landing to theloading position (see also FIG. 32). In step 616, the external drum 320is rotated by the drive system 336, if necessary, to position theleading edge clamping mechanism 340 for plate loading. The actuatingsystem 375 then opens the leading edge clamping mechanism 340, exposingthe registration pins 378. This step may be performed before, during, orafter step 614. The door 414, if present, is then opened by the actuator416, thereby allowing the printing plate 318 to slide down the inputtray 440 until the leading edge 338 of the printing plate 318 contactstwo of the registration pins 378 (see also FIG. 33 (pins not visible)).In step 618, the actuating system 375 closes the leading edge clampingmechanism 340 against the leading edge 338 of the printing plate 318(see also FIG. 34). In step 620, the actuating system 398 forces theironing roller assembly 396 against the printing plate 318 (see alsoFIG. 35). In step 622, the external drum 320 is rotated by the drivesystem 336, with the ironing roller assembly 396 forcing the printingplate 318 against the external drum 320 (see also FIG. 36), until thetrailing edge 342 of the printing plate 318 is positioned below the setof magnetic clamps 350 of the trailing edge clamping mechanism 344 (seealso FIG. 37).

In step 624, which may be performed as soon as the trailing edge 342 ofthe printing plate 318 is pulled completely off of the input tray 440,or during or after any of the following steps 626-642, the input tray440 may be manually or automatically pivoted back to the landingposition (see also FIG. 38). The operator may now slide another printingplate 318′ onto the input tray 440 from a landed position on the landingzone 400 to a staged position on the input tray 440 (see also FIG. 39).

In step 626, the set of magnetic clamps 350 of the trailing edgeclamping mechanism 344 are forced against and over the trailing edge 342of the printing plate 318 by the actuating system 352 (see also FIG.40). In step 628, the actuation system 352 and the ironing rollerassembly 396 are moved away from the external drum 320 (see also FIG.41), and a vacuum is introduced between the printing plate 318 and theexternal drum 320. The printing plate 318 is now fully applied to theexternal drum 320. In step 630, after side edge registration of theprinting plate 318, the external drum 320 is rotated and the printingplate 318 is imaged (see also FIG. 42).

After imaging is complete, the external drum 320 is brought to a stop instep 632, with the set of magnetic clamps 350 of the trailing edgeclamping mechanism 344 positioned under the actuating system 352. Instep 634, the ironing roller assembly 396 is extended against theprinting plate 318, the set of magnetic clamps 350 are pulled off theexternal drum 320 by the actuating system 352, and the vacuum to theexternal drum 320 is turned off. In step 636, the external drum 320 isrotated to position and direct the trailing edge 342 of the printingplate 318 onto the conveying system 500 and/or into and through theroller system 501 (see also FIG. 43). In step 638, rotation of theexternal drum 320 is temporarily halted when leading edge 338 of theprinting plate 318, which is fixed in position by the leading edgeclamping mechanism 340, is located beneath the actuating system 375. Theironing roller assembly 396 is then retracted. In step 640, the leadingedge clamping mechanism 340 is opened by the actuating system 375,completely freeing the printing plate 318 from against the external drum320. Finally, in step 642, the conveying system 500 and/or roller system501 are operated to fully eject the printing plate 318 onto the outputtray 510 (see also FIG. 44). The imaged printing plate 318 may bemanually or automatically unloaded from the output tray 510, or may bedirected into the on-line processor 540. The printing plate 318′previously loaded on the input tray 440, may now be mounted on theexternal drum 320 starting at step 614.

The media input/output scheme of the external drum platesetter 300 ofthe present invention provides, inter alia, the following:

1. The floor space (i.e., footprint) required by the external drumplatesetter 300 is conserved by forming the input tray 440 separatelyfrom, and positioning the input tray 440 over, the output tray 510.Other related art input/output schemes often require at least twice thefloor space as the present invention.

2. The separate input and output trays 440, 510, allow pre-staging of asecond printing plate 318′ while a first printing plate 318 is beingimaged.

3. The landing zone 400 is optimally located; an operator is notrequired to blindly locate an input slot or registration point as isoften required by the related art. After the printing plate 318 is“landed,” the plate is easily slid to a staged position on the inputtray 440.

4. After a printing plate 318 has been staged on the input tray 440, theleading edge 338 of the printing plate 318 is relatively close to theregistration pins 378 on the external drum 320. Since the printing plate318 is not required to travel a great distance to reach the externaldrum 320, transport errors are prevented, and transport time is reduced.

5. The loading of a printing plate 318 is assisted by gravity, due tothe angled orientation of the input tray 440.

6. The external drum 320 and clamping mechanisms 340, 344, are easilyaccessed for service, since the input and output trays 440, 510, arepositioned to the rear of the external drum platesetter 300. Thisconfiguration also provides space at the front of the external drumplatesetter 300 for an optional automated multiple plate loader.

Either or both of the external drum platesetters 16, 300 may include anindicator light arrangement for providing visual signals to an operatorregarding the operational and error status of the platesetter. Anexample of an indicator light arrangement 550 for the external drumplatesetter 300 is illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29.

The indicator light arrangement 550 comprises a pair of light columns552 positioned on opposite sides of the input tray 440. Each lightcolumn 552 includes a plurality of individual light segments 554, eachoutputting one or more predetermined colors of light, and/or type oflight (e.g., steady illumination, strobe, etc.).

The individual light segments 554 of the indicator light arrangement 550of the present invention may be relatively large, thereby providing avisual indication of the operating status of the platesetter 16, 300,that is visible from a great distance. This may be useful, for example,in large printing shops with high noise levels, since the indicatorlight arrangement 550 allows an operator to view the status of theplatesetter 16, 300, from as far away as 100 feet or more.

The indicator light arrangement 550 may be used to provide an operatorwith a wide variety of visual information, including, for example:

1. Platesetter on-line (ready);

2. Platesetter off-line (paused);

3. Error requiring operator intervention (e.g., clear jam, reboot,etc.);

4. Plate input allowed (i.e., a printing plate 318 may be loaded ontothe input tray 440). This may occur, for example, if a job has not yetarrived from the RIP 14 (FIG. 1);

5. Plate input requested (e.g., a job has arrived from the RIP 14, but apreviously received printing job has not finished imaging);

6. Plate input required (e.g., the platesetter is stalled until anoperator loads a printing plate 318); and

7. Job progress percentage.

The job progress percentage may be provided, for example, bysequentially actuating individual light segments 554, from the bottomtoward the top of each light column 552 (or vice versa), as a printingplate 318 is being imaged. The color sequence of the light segments 554along each light column 552 may change from red to yellow to green asthe printing plate 318 is being imaged, with green indicating thatimaging is complete. Many other illumination schemes are also possible.

Many imaging systems, including internal and external drum imagesettersand platesetters, utilize a registration system comprising a pair ofregistration pins to accurately and repeatably position and locateseveral different sizes of printing plates or other recording media on adrum surface. To ensure that the registration pins properly align theleading edge of the printing plate to the longitudinal axis of the drumof the imaging system, the contact points of registration pins should bepositioned as far apart as possible along the leading edge of theprinting plate. To accommodate a wide variety of plate sizes, andprovide the necessary separation (contact distance) of the registrationpins, the registration pins of related art registration systems areoften manually repositioned for each different plate size, or areautomatically repositioned using a complex and expensive, active-poweredadjustment system.

As illustrated in FIGS. 45-47, the present invention provides aregistration system 700 that obviates the need for the manual orautomatic relocation of the registration pins. In particular, theregistration system 700 of the present invention provides a unique setof registration pins that is capable of supporting a plurality ofdifferent plate sizes and combinations of registration pin contactdistances.

The registration system 700 includes a plurality of flanged registrationpins 702 that are located within the groove 56 formed in the externaldrum 20 (or 320). The registration pins 702 may be located along thegroove 56 at any axial position. A scale or fixture (not shown) may beused to accurately position the registration pins 702 along the groove56. As described supra, the registration pins 702 are incorporated intothe leading edge clamping mechanism 40. It should be noted, however,that the registration system 700 may also be used independently of theleading edge clamping mechanism 40, and in other imaging systems, toaccurately and repeatably position and locate a printing plate or otherrecording media on a drum surface.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 45, each registration pin 702 is formed inan “L” shape that is configured to fit within and against a corner 704of the groove 56. The leg 706 of the registration pin 702 includes anangled face 708. A bar 710 is provided to clamp the registration pins702 against the corner 704 of the groove 56. The bar 710 includes acomplementary angled face 712 that mates with, and wedges against, theangled face 708 formed on the leg 706 of each registration pin 702. Asingle bar 710 is used to collectively clamp the plurality ofregistration pins 702 within the groove 56. Alternately, severalindividual bar sections may be employed to clamp one or more of theregistration pins 702 within the groove 56. The registration pins 702are locked into position along the groove 56 by securing one or morefasteners 714 (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) into the external drum 20through the bar 710. As the bar 710 is tightened against the bottom ofthe groove 56, the angled face 712 of the bar 710 is wedged against theangled face 708 formed on the leg 706 of each registration pin 702,thereby securely clamping the registration pins 702 against the corner704 of the groove 56. If axial adjustment of the registration pins 702is required, the fasteners 714 may be loosened without removing the bar710 from the groove 56, thereby allowing the registration pins 702 to beslid to the desired location within the groove 56.

The head 716 of each registration pin 702 extends radially beyond themedia support surface 22 (or 322) of the external drum 20 (or 320).During the loading of the printing plate 18 onto the external drum 20,the leading edge 38 of the printing plate 18 contacts, and is positionedagainst, the heads 716 of a plurality of the registration pins 702. Onlytwo of the registration pins 702 are contacted by each different sizeprinting plate 18.

To ensure that only two of the registration pins 702 are contacted byany size (i.e., width, a.k.a., longitudinal dimension) of printing plate18, the heads 716 of the registration pins 702 are provided withvariable thicknesses (e.g., in about 0.005″ increments) along adirection D that is parallel to the direction of rotation of theexternal drum 20. For example, a plan view of an arrangement 718 ofregistration pins 702 capable of supporting four different plate sizes,with each plate size contacting only two of the registration pins 702,is illustrated in FIG. 46. Of the five registration pins shown in FIG.46, registration pin 702 ₁ has the smallest head thickness, registrationpins 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B) have the same head thickness that is Δtlarger than registration pin 702 ₁, registration pin 702 ₃ has a headthickness that is 2Δt larger than registration pin 702 ₁, and Δt largerthan registration pins 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B), and registration pin 702₄ has a head thickness that is 3Δt larger than registration pin 702 ₁,2Δt larger than registration pins 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B), and Δt largerthan registration pin 702 ₃. Thus, the head thicknesses of theregistration pins 702 ₁, 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B), 702 ₃, and 702 ₄increase gradually in increments of Δt. An analogous arrangement ofregistration pins 702 may be provided for the case in which thedifferent size printing plates 18 are right justified, rather than leftjustified.

In an alternate embodiment, the heads 716 of the registration pins 702₁, 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B), 702 ₃, and 702 ₄ may have a cylindricalconfiguration (shown in phantom in FIG. 46) with radii that vary inincrements of Δt. Other configurations capable of providing thenecessary variable thicknesses are also possible.

The use of the registration pin arrangement 718 is illustrated in FIG.47. In FIG. 47, it should be noted that the relative sizes of theprinting plates 18 and the registration pins 702, and the degree oftilt, if any, of the printing plates 18, have been exaggerated in orderto more clearly depict the use of the registration pin arrangement 718of the present invention. In this example, it is assumed that eachdifferent size (i.e., width) printing plate 18A, 18B, . . . , 18E, isleft justified at location LJ (i.e., the bottom left edge of eachprinting plate 18A, 18B, . . . , 18E is positioned at location LJ.Printing plate 18A, the smallest printing plate, contacts registrationpins 702 _(2A) and 702 ₁. The leading edge 38A of printing plate 18Aangles downward toward registration pin 702 ₁ due to the difference inthickness Δt between registration pins 702 _(2A) and 702 ₁. Printingplate 18B, the next larger printing plate, contacts the registrationpins 702 _(2A) and 702 _(2B), which have the same thickness, and theleading edge 38B of printing plate 18B is maintained in a levelorientation. Printing plate 18C, the next larger printing plate,contacts registration pins 702 _(2A) and 702 ₃. The leading edge 38C ofprinting plate 18C angles upward toward registration pin 702 ₃ due tothe difference in thickness Δt between registration pins 702 _(2A) and702 ₃. Finally, printing plate 18D, the largest printing plate, contactsregistration pins 702 _(2A) and 702 ₄. The leading edge 38D of printingplate 18D angles upward toward registration pin 702 ₄ due to thedifference in thickness 2Δt between registration pins 702 _(2A) and 702₄. The small amount of tilt, having a maximum of 2Δt in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 47, is typically within system tolerances, and maybe easily compensated for, if necessary, by other components of theimaging system.

It should be noted that the increments in thickness between adjacentpairs of the registration pins 702 do not have to be uniform (i.e.,equal to ±Δt). Rather, and more generally, the thicknesses of theregistration pins 702 may have any suitable value as long as the lowestpoint of a line connecting the plate contact points of the registrationpins 702 is located at the second registration pin (e.g., 702 ₁ in FIG.47) from the edge used for justification (e.g., LJ in FIG. 47). Itshould also be noted that each different size printing plate 702contacts a common registration pin (e.g., 702 _(2A) in FIG. 47), namelythe registration pin closest to the edge used for justification.

In FIGS. 46 and 47, the head 716 of each registration pin 702 ₁, 702_(2A), 702 _(2B), 702 ₃, and 702 ₄, is provided with a large radiuscylindrical registration surface 720 (e.g., a radius of about 1″). Theregistration surfaces 720 minimize contact stress with the leading edge38 of the printing plate 18, thereby preventing plate edge damage.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, andmany modifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to aperson skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scopeof this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An external drum platesetter having a front sideand a rear side for recording an image onto a printing plate, theexternal drum platesetter comprising: an external drum having acylindrical media support surface for supporting the printing plateduring recording of the image onto said printing plate; an input trayfor supporting the printing plate in a staging position prior torecording the image thereon such that the printing plate is ready fordisplacement to the cylindrical media support surface; said input trayangularly positioned between a horizontal plane and a vertical plane,said input tray having at least a portion thereof positioned over anupper hemisphere of said drum; said input tray positioned to feed aleading edge of said plate to the upper hemisphere of said drum; adevice for holding the printing plate on the input tray until theexternal drum is ready to receive the printing plate from the inputtray; a system for feeding the printing plate from the input tray to themedia support surface; and an output tray formed separately from theinput tray, said output tray for receiving the printing plate by atrailing edge from said external drum after said image is recorded ontosaid printing plate.
 2. The external drum platesetter of claim 1,wherein the input tray is manually loaded one printing plate at a time.3. The external drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the input tray ispositioned adjacent to the front side of the external drum platesettersuch that an operator loads the printing plate onto the input tray fromthe front side.
 4. The external drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein atleast a portion of the input tray is positioned directly over the apexof said external drum.
 5. The external drum platesetter of claim 1,wherein the input tray is oriented to fit completely within a floorspace footprint defined by a diameter “D” of the external drum.
 6. Theexternal drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the input tray is orientedsuch that a loading path of the printing plate supported on the inputtray extends along a line that is tangent to the media support surface.7. The external drum platesetter of claim 1, further comprising alanding zone for supporting at least a portion of the printing plateduring the loading of the printing plate onto the input tray.
 8. Theexternal drum platesetter of claim 1, further comprising: a system forsupporting the input tray in a landing position, the landing positionbeing configure to assist an operator in placing the printing plate onthe input tray; and a system for moving the input tray from the landingposition to a loading position, wherein the loading position orients theinput tray and the plate supported thereon to provide a loading pathwhich aligns the printing plate along a line that is substantiallytangent to the media support surface.
 9. The external drum platesetterof claim 1, wherein the output tray is manually unloaded.
 10. Theexternal drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the output tray ispositioned adjacent to the back side of the external drum platesettersuch that an operator unloads the printing plate from the back side. 11.The external drum platesetter of claim 1, further comprising two sideswhich are each generally perpendicular with the front side and the rearside and wherein the output tray further comprises a conveying apparatusfor automatically advancing the imaged printing plate from the outputtray toward one of the two sides.
 12. The external drum platesetter ofclaim 1, wherein the output tray further comprises a conveying apparatusfor automatically advancing the imaged printing plate from the outputtray toward the rear side.
 13. The external drum platesetter of claim11, further comprising an automatic on-line plate processor for furtherprocessing the image recorded on the printing plate and wherein theautomatic on-line plate processor is positioned to receive the imagedprinting plate from the conveying appartus at one of the two sides. 14.The external drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the output tray isoriented substantially horizontally.
 15. The external drum platesetterof claim 1, wherein the output tray is oriented at an angle betweensubstantially horizontal and substantially vertical for reducing thefloor space footprint of the platesetter.
 16. The external drumplatesetter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the input tray islocated above the output tray.
 17. The external drum platesetter ofclaim 3, further comprising an output tray positioned adjacent to therear side of the external drum platesetter such that an operator unloadsthe printing plate from the rear side.
 18. The external drum platesetterof claim 8, further comprising an output tray positioned adjacent to theback side of the external drum platesetter such that an operator unloadsthe printing plate from the back side.
 19. The external drum platesetterof claim 8, further comprising: two sides which are each generallyperpendicular to the front side and the rear side; an output traypositioned adjacent to the back side of the external drum platesetter;and, wherein the output tray further comprises a conveying apparatus forautomatically advancing the imaged printing plate from the output traytoward one of the two sides.
 20. The external drum platesetter of claim1, further comprising: a drive system for rotating the external drum; ascanning system for recording image data onto the printing plate duringrotation of the external drum.
 21. The external drum platesetter ofclaim 20, further comprising: a front end workstation for preparingimage data for recording onto the printing plate; a raster imageprocessor for processing the image data into a raster format; and,wherein each of the front end workstation and the raster image processorare in communication with the external drum platesetter.
 22. Theexternal drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the input tray includes apass through opening through which the imaged printing plate may beremoved from the output tray by an operator positioned at the front sideof the external drum platesetter.
 23. The external drum platesetter ofclaim 1, wherein the input tray further includes at least one indicatorlight assembly for providing visual signals regarding a status of theexternal drum platesetter.
 24. The external drum platesetter of claim23, wherein the indicator light assembly further includes at least onelight column positioned adjacent a side of the input tray and whereinthe light column is of sufficient size to be viewed by an operator froma distance of more than 10 feet away.
 25. The external drum platesetterof claim 24, wherein each light column further includes a plurality ofindividual light segments.
 26. The external drum platesetter of claim24, wherein the at least one light column provides a visual indicationof a job progress percentage as the printing plate is being imaged. 27.The external drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the printing platecomprises aluminum.
 28. The external drum platesetter of claim 1,wherein the printing plate comprises polyester.
 29. The external drumplatesetter of claim 1, wherein the printing plate comprises: asubstrate; and an imageable layer formed on the substrate.
 30. Theexternal drum platesetter of claim 29, wherein the substrate comprisesaluminum.
 31. The external drum platesetter of claim 29, wherein thesubstrate comprises polyester.
 32. The external drum platesetter ofclaim 29, wherein the imageable layer has characteristics selected fromthe group consisting of: photosensitive, radiation sensitive, andthermally sensitive.
 33. The external drum platesetter of claim 1,wherein the printing plate comprises a flexible plano-graphic aluminumsheet.
 34. The external drum platesetter of claim 1, wherein theprinting plate comprises a flexographic printing plate.
 35. The externaldrum platesetter of claim 1, wherein the printing plate has dimensionsin the range of about 20″×28″ to about 58″×80″.
 36. The platesetter ofclaim 1 further comprising: said output tray positioned generallyhorizontally and above a portion of an upper hemisphere of said drum.37. A method, wherein a platesetter includes a front side, a rear side,and wherein an input tray is oriented for being loaded from the frontside, further comprising: providing an input tray angularly positionedbetween a horizontal plane and a vertical plane, said input tray havingat least a portion thereof positioned over an upper hemisphere of anexternal drum of a platesetter; loading a first unimaged printing plateonto said input tray; holding the printing plate on the input tray witha holding device; displacing a leading edge of the printing plate fromthe input tray to an upper hemisphere of said external drum andproviding an output tray at the rear side of the platesetter forreceiving printing plates from the external drum after image recording.38. The method of claim 37 wherein the step of holding the printingplate is performed while another printing plate is mounted on thecylindrical media recording device.
 39. The method of claim 37 furthercomprising the steps of: mounting the printing plate onto the mediarecording surface; rotating the external drum and the printing platemounted thereon; recording an image onto the rotating printing plate;and displacing the imaged printing plate from the external drum onto anoutput tray, wherein the output tray is formed separately from the inputtray.
 40. The method of claim 37, wherein the platesetter includes alanding zone for supporting at least a portion of the plate thereon;further comprising supporting the printing plate on a landing zone priorto loading the printing plate onto the input tray.
 41. The method ofclaim 40, further comprising sliding the printing plate from the landingzone onto the input tray.
 42. The method of claim 40, further comprisingpivoting the input tray between a landing position, wherein the inputtray is substantially aligned with the landing zone, and a loadingposition wherein the input tray is oriented such that a loading path ofthe printing plate supported thereon extends along a line that issubstantially tangent to the media support surface.
 43. The method ofclaim 42, further comprising the step of loading the printing plate ontothe media support surface.
 44. The method of claim 43, furthercomprising; pivoting the input tray from the loading position to thelanding position; supporting a second printing plate on the landingzone; sliding the second printing plate from the landing zone onto theinput tray; and pivoting the input tray from the landing position to theloading position.
 45. The method of claim 44 wherein the printing platemounted onto the media support surface is being recorded while thesecond printing plate is being mounted onto the input tray.
 46. Themethod of claim 37, further comprising: providing the input tray with apass through opening through which the printing plate may be removedfrom the output tray toward the front side.
 47. The method of claim 45,wherein the printing plate includes a leading edge and a trailing edge,wherein the printing plate is displaced from the input tray, leadingedge first, onto the external drum, and wherein the output tray receivesthe printing plate, trailing edge first, from the external drum.
 48. Themethod of claim 37, wherein the displacing step further comprises:providing a leading edge clamping mechanism for holding a leading edgeof the printing plate against a media support surface of the externaldrum; and, directing the leading edge of the printing plate from theinput tray into the leading edge clamping mechanism.
 49. The method ofclaim 37 further providing at least a portion of said input tray